False certification cancels any loan that was fraudulently originated by the school. False certification applies to loans disbursed after January 1, 1986, and is tightly defined to cover the following specific situations:

Ability to benefit Every school must certify students are eligible for federal student loans. For students without a high school diploma or GED, this means the school must demonstrate the student is academically able to benefit from the school's programs before the student can take out a loan(s). If a school falsely certified you for a program for which you did not qualify, you may be eligible for loan cancellation.

Ability to benefit cancellation only applies to fraudulent certification. It does not apply to schools that misrepresent their education programs, the quality of their facilities and faculty, or their ability to help you find employment in your field of study.

Download the form for specific eligibility requirements and completion.

Unauthorized signature In rare cases, someone at the school has signed a borrower's name on a financial aid application without authorization, received the borrower's loan funds and the borrower received no benefit from those funds. If you believe an official at your school forged your signature on a promissory note or loan application, you may be eligible for loan cancellation.

Download the form for specific eligibility requirements and completion.

Disqualifying status If your school certified your eligibility to study for a field in which you couldn't work, you may be entitled to loan cancellation. Barriers can include physical or mental conditions, legal status or other conditions that would legally bar employment in your field of study. An example of this may be a school knowingly admitting a felon into law school.

Download the form for specific eligibility requirements and completion.

Identity theft If a student loan(s) was taken out in your name as a result of identity theft, you may qualify for a false certification cancellation.

Pub. L. 110–315, § 425(b)(2), substituted “A direct consolidation loan offered under this paragraph” for “Such direct consolidation loan” and inserted after first sentence “In addition, in the event that a borrower chooses to obtain a consolidation loan for the purposes of using the no accrual of interest for active duty service members program offered under section 1087e(o) of this title, the Secretary shall offer a Federal Direct Consolidation loan to any such borrower who applies for participation in such program.”

2007—Subsec. (a)(3)(B)(i)(V). Pub. L. 110–84, § 203(b)(1)(A), amended subcl. (V) generally. Prior to amendment, subcl. (V) read as follows: “an individual may obtain a subsequent consolidation loan under section 1087e(g) of this title only for the purposes of obtaining an income contingent repayment plan, and only if the loan has been submitted to the guaranty agency for default aversion.”

Pub. L. 110–84, § 203(b)(1)(B), (C), inserted “or chooses to obtain a consolidation loan for the purposes of using the public service loan forgiveness program offered under section 1087e(m) of this title,” after “from such a lender,” in first sentence and “, except that if a borrower intends to be eligible to use the public service loan forgiveness program under section 1087e(m) of this title, such loan shall be repaid using one of the repayment options described in section 1087e(m)(1)(A) of this title” before period at end of second sentence.

Subsec. (a)(3)(B)(i). Pub. L. 109–171, § 8009(a)(1)(A), (B), substituted “under this section or under section 1087e(g) of this title terminates under both sections upon receipt of a consolidation loan under this section or under section 1087e(g) of this title” for “under this section terminates upon receipt of a consolidation loan under this section”.

“(C)(i) A married couple, each of whom has eligible student loans, may be treated as if such couple were an individual borrowing under subparagraphs (A) and (B) if such couple agrees to be held jointly and severally liable for the repayment of a consolidation loan, without regard to the amounts of the respective loan obligations that are to be consolidated, and without regard to any subsequent change that may occur in such couple’s marital status.

“(ii) Only one spouse in a married couple applying for a consolidation loan under this subparagraph need meet any of the requirements of subsection (b) of this section, except that each spouse shall—

“(I) individually make the initial certification that no other application is pending in accordance with subsection (b)(1)(A) of this section; and

“(II) agree to notify the holder concerning any change of address in accordance with subsection (b)(4) of this section.”

Subsec. (b)(1)(A). Pub. L. 109–234, § 7015(a), struck out “and (i) the lender holds an outstanding loan of that borrower which is selected by the borrower for consolidation under this section, except that this clause shall not apply in the case of a borrower with multiple holders of loans under this part, or (ii) the borrower certifies that the borrower has sought and has been unable to obtain a consolidation loan with income-sensitive repayment terms from the holders of the outstanding loans of that borrower (which are so selected for consolidation)” after “loan under this section”.

Subsec. (b)(5). Pub. L. 109–234, § 7015(c), reenacted heading without change and substituted in text “In the event that a borrower is unable to obtain a consolidation loan from a lender with an agreement under subsection (a)(1), or is unable to obtain a consolidation loan with income-sensitive repayment terms acceptable to the borrower from such a lender, the Secretary shall offer any such borrower who applies for it, a Federal Direct Consolidation loan. Such direct consolidation loan” for “In the event that a borrower is unable to obtain a consolidation loan from a lender with an agreement under subsection (a)(1) of this section, or is unable to obtain a consolidation loan with income-sensitive repayment terms acceptable to the borrower from such a lender, the Secretary shall offer any such borrower who applies for it, a direct consolidation loan. Such direct consolidation loan”.

Pub. L. 109–171, § 8009(a)(2), which directed substitution of “In the event that a lender with an agreement under subsection (a)(1) of this section denies a consolidation loan application submitted to the lender by an eligible borrower under this section, or denies an application submitted to the lender by such a borrower for a consolidation loan with income-sensitive repayment terms, the Secretary shall offer any such borrower who applies for it, a Federal Direct Consolidation loan. The Secretary shall offer such a loan to a borrower who has defaulted, for the purpose of resolving the default.” for first sentence, was repealed by Pub. L. 109–234, § 7015(d). See Effective Date of 2006 Amendment note below.

2002—Subsec. (c)(1)(A). Pub. L. 107–139 amended subpar. (A) generally. Prior to amendment, subpar. (A) read as follows: “Notwithstanding subparagraphs (B) and (C), with respect to any loan made under this section for which the application is received by an eligible lender on or after October 1, 1998, and before July 1, 2003, the applicable interest rate shall be determined under section 1077a(k)(4) of this title.”

1998—Subsec. (a)(3). Pub. L. 105–244, § 420(a), amended heading, added subpars. (A) and (B), and struck out former subpars. (A) and (B) which defined the term “eligible borrower”, provided for termination of individual’s status as an eligible borrower, and provided for counting loans against certain limitations on aggregate indebtedness.

Subsec. (a)(4)(C). Pub. L. 105–244, § 420(b), added subpar. (C) and struck out former subpar. (C) which read as follows: “made under part D of this subchapter, except that loans made under such part shall be eligible student loans only for consolidation loans for which the application is received by an eligible lender during the period beginning on November 13, 1997, and ending on October 1, 1998;”.

Subsec. (b)(1)(A)(i). Pub. L. 105–244, § 420(c)(1), inserted “except that this clause shall not apply in the case of a borrower with multiple holders of loans under this part,” after “under this section,”.

Subsec. (b)(4)(C)(ii). Pub. L. 105–244, § 420(c)(2), inserted “during any such period” after “and be paid” in introductory provisions and struck out “, or on or after October 1, 1998,” before “that consolidated” in subcl. (I) and “and before October 1, 1998,” before “except that” in subcl. (II).

Subsec. (b)(6)(A). Pub. L. 105–244, § 420(c)(3), inserted before semicolon at end “, except that a lender is not required to consolidate loans described in subparagraph (D) or (E) of subsection (a)(4) or subsection (d)(1)(C)(ii)”.

Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 105–244, § 420(b)(2), amended heading, added subpar. (A), and struck out former subpar. (A) which read as follows: “Consolidation loans made under this section shall bear interest at rates determined under subparagraph (B), (C), or (D). For the purposes of payment of special allowances under section 1087–1(b)(2) of this title, the interest rate required by this subsection is the applicable interest rate with respect to a consolidation loan.”

Subsec. (b)(4)(C)(ii)(I). Pub. L. 105–78, § 609(c)(1), (2), inserted “for which the application is received by an eligible lender before November 13, 1997, or on or after October 1, 1998,” after “consolidation loan” and struck out “or” at end.

1996—Subsec. (a)(1)(A). Pub. L. 104–208 inserted “or the Holding Company of the Student Loan Marketing Association, including any subsidiary of the Holding Company, created pursuant to section 1087–3 of this title” after “Student Loan Marketing Association”.

1994—Subsec. (a)(4)(D). Pub. L. 103–382 added subpar. (D).

1993—Subsec. (a)(3). Pub. L. 103–66, § 4046(a)(1), amended heading.

Subsec. (a)(3)(A). Pub. L. 103–208, § 2(c)(33), substituted “defaulted borrower who has made arrangements to repay the obligation on the defaulted loans satisfactory to the holders of the defaulted loans” for “delinquent or defaulted borrower who will reenter repayment through loan consolidation”. See Codification note above.

Pub. L. 103–66, § 4046(a)(1), amended subpar. (A) generally. Prior to amendment, subpar. (A) read as follows: “For the purpose of this section, the term ‘eligible borrower’ means a borrower who, at the time of application for a consolidation loan—

“(i) has an outstanding indebtedness on eligible student loans, at the time of application for a consolidation loan, of not less than $7,500; and

“(ii) is in repayment status, or in a grace period preceding repayment, or is a delinquent or defaulted borrower who will reenter repayment through loan consolidation.”

Subsec. (a)(3)(B)(ii). Pub. L. 103–66, § 4046(b)(2), struck out at end “Nothing in this section shall be interpreted to authorize the Secretary to require lenders, holders, or guarantors of consolidated loans to receive, to maintain, or to make reports with respect to preexisting records relating to any eligible student loan (as defined under paragraph (4)) discharged by a borrower in receiving a consolidation loan.”

Subsec. (a)(4)(A). Pub. L. 103–208, § 2(c)(34), struck out before semicolon at end “, except for loans made to parent borrowers under section 1078–2 of this title as in effect prior to October 17, 1986”.

Subsec. (a)(4)(C). Pub. L. 103–208, § 2(c)(35), substituted “part A” for “part C” before “of title VII of the Public Health Service Act”.

Subsec. (b)(4)(C). Pub. L. 103–66, § 4046(a)(2)(B), amended subpar. (C) generally. Prior to amendment, subpar. (C) read as follows: “provides that periodic installments of principal need not be paid, but interest shall accrue and be paid by the Secretary, during any period for which the borrower would be eligible for a deferral under section 1078(b)(1)(M) of this title, and that any such period shall not be included in determining the repayment period pursuant to subsection (c)(2) of this section;”.

“(B) Except as provided in subparagraph (C), a consolidation loan shall bear interest at an annual rate on the unpaid principal balance of the loan which is equal to the weighted average of the interest rates on the loans consolidated, rounded to the nearest whole percent.

“(C) A consolidation loan shall bear interest at an annual rate on the unpaid principal balance of the loan equal to not less than 9 percent.”

Pub. L. 103–66, § 4046(a)(3)(B)(i), in introductory provisions substituted “income-sensitive repayment schedules, established by the lender in accordance with the regulations of the Secretary. Except as required by such income-sensitive repayment schedules, or by the terms of repayment pursuant to income contingent repayment offered by the Secretary under subsection (b)(5), such repayment terms” for “income sensitive repayment schedules. Such repayment terms”, added cl. (i), and redesignated former cls. (i) to (v) as (ii) to (vi), respectively.

Subsec. (c)(2)(B), (C). Pub. L. 103–66, § 4046(a)(3)(B)(ii), (iii), redesignated subpar. (C) as (B) and struck out former subpar. (B) which read as follows: “Unless a consolidation loan under subparagraph (A)(ii) will be used to discharge at least $5,000 of loans made under this part, such loan shall be repaid in accordance with subparagraph (A)(i).”

Subsec. (c)(3)(B). Pub. L. 103–66, § 4046(a)(3)(C), inserted “except as required by the terms of repayment pursuant to income contingent repayment offered by the Secretary under subsection (b)(5),” before “the lender”.

Subsec. (a)(3)(A)(ii). Pub. L. 102–325, § 419(b)(1)(B), amended cl. (ii) generally. Prior to amendment, cl. (ii) read as follows: “is in repayment status, or in a grace period preceding repayment, and is not delinquent with respect to any required payment on such indebtedness by more than 90 days.”

Subsec. (a)(3)(B). Pub. L. 102–325, § 419(c), amended subpar. (B) generally. Prior to amendment, subpar. (B) read as follows: “An individual’s status as an eligible borrower under this section terminates upon receipt of a consolidation loan under this section except with respect to eligible student loans received after the date of receipt of the consolidation loan. Loans made under this section shall, to the extent used to discharge loans made under this subchapter, be counted against the applicable limitations on aggregate indebtedness contained in sections 1075(a)(2), 1078(b)(1)(B), 1078–1(b)(2), and 1087dd(a)(2) of this title. Nothing in this subparagraph shall be interpreted to authorize the Secretary to require lenders, holders, or guarantors of consolidation loans to receive, to maintain, or to make reports with respect to pre-existing records relating to any eligible student loan (as defined under subsection (a)(4) of this section) discharged by a borrower in receiving a consolidation loan.”

Subsec. (a)(3)(C). Pub. L. 102–325, § 419(d), added subpar. (C).

Subsec. (a)(4)(A). Pub. L. 102–325, § 419(b)(2), amended subpar. (A) generally. Prior to amendment, subpar. (A) read as follows: “made, insured, or guaranteed under this part, except for loans made to parent borrowers under section 1078–2 of this title, including loans made to parent borrowers under section 1078–2 of this title as in effect prior to October 17, 1986;”.

Subsec. (b)(4)(C). Pub. L. 102–325, § 419(e), amended subpar. (C) generally. Prior to amendment, subpar. (C) read as follows: “provides that periodic installments of principal need not be paid, but interest shall accrue and be paid, during any period for which the borrower would be eligible for a deferral under clause (i), (viii), or (ix) of section 1078(b)(1)(M) of this title, and that any such period shall not be included in determining the repayment period pursuant to subsection (c)(2) of this section;”.

Subsec. (c)(2)(A). Pub. L. 102–325, § 419(f), substituted “which shall include” for “which may include” in first sentence, inserted second sentence, and struck out former second sentence which read as follows: “Such repayment terms shall require that if the sum of the consolidation loan and the amount outstanding on other student loans to the individual—

“(i) is equal to or greater than $5,000 but less than $7,500, then such consolidation loan shall be repaid in not more than 10 years;

“(ii) is equal to or greater than $7,500 but less than $10,000, then such consolidation loan shall be repaid in not more than 12 years;

“(iii) is equal to or greater than $10,000 but less than $20,000, then such consolidation loan shall be repaid in not more than 15 years;

“(iv) is equal to or greater than $20,000 but less than $45,000, then such consolidation loan shall be repaid in not more than 20 years; or

“(v) is equal to or greater than $45,000, then such consolidation loan shall be repaid in not more than 25 years.”

Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 102–408, § 306(b), which directed the substitution of “1997” for “1992”, could not be executed because “1992” did not appear in text subsequent to the amendment by Pub. L. 102–325, § 419(g). See above.

1987—Subsec. (a)(1)(C). Pub. L. 100–50, § 10(s)(1), which directed the amendment of subpar. (C) by substituting “(C), (E), and (J)” for “(C) and (E)”, was executed by substituting the new language for “(C), and (E)”, as the probable intent of Congress.

Subsec. (a)(3)(A). Pub. L. 100–50, § 10(s)(2), struck out cl. (iii) which read as follows: “is not a parent borrower under section 1078–2 of this title.”

Subsec. (a)(3)(B). Pub. L. 100–50, § 10(s)(3), substituted “eligible student loans received” for “loans received under this subchapter”, “under this subchapter” for “under this part”, and “, 1078(b)(1)(B), 1078–1(b)(2), and 1087dd(a)(2) of this title” for “and 1078(b)(1)(B) of this title”, and inserted provision that nothing in subpar. (B) should be interpreted to authorize Secretary to require lenders, holders, or guarantors of consolidation loans to make reports with respect to pre-existing records relating to eligible student loans discharged by a borrower in receiving a consolidation loan.

Subsec. (c)(2)(A)(v). Pub. L. 100–50, § 10(s)(6), substituted “equal to or greater” for “more” the first time appearing, as the probable intent of Congress.

Subsec. (c)(5). Pub. L. 100–50, § 10(s)(7), inserted “, but a fee may be payable by the lender to the guaranty agency to cover the costs of increased or extended liability with respect to such loan” before period at end non conventional loan

B.C. loan forgiveness program StudentAidBC

In 2019, the Federally-funded Non Profit Student Loan Forgiveness Program remains widely accessible for employees of all 501(c)(3) organizations, as well as for others not traditionally considered “non profit” employees.

In fact, the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF) – which is the official name of the student loan debt forgiveness program for nonprofit workers – remains the absolute best Federal Student Loan Forgiveness Program on offer, as it provides complete loan forgiveness after making just 10 years of monthly payments, while also allows you to avoid paying taxes on the debt you have forgiven!

To receive loan forgiveness at the 10 year mark, all you need to do is work for a qualifying non profit organization – any 501(c)(3) will count – for at least 30 hours per week, and make your monthly student loan payments in-full, on-time, and under one of the excellent Income-Based Student Loan Repayment Plans.

While President Trump at one time proposed eliminating PSLF entirely, this proposal was shot down immediately, and I see no signs that the Non-Profit Forgiveness program will be removed at any point in the near future.

How Does Non Profit Loan Forgiveness Work

Those borrowers with excessive, unbearable levels of Federal student loan debt are going to have a significantly tougher time getting out from under it.

How Do I Actually Apply For Loan Forgiveness

I can finally offer advice on this topic, because the official Public Service Loan Forgiveness Application form has FINALLY gone live, and you can find it right here.

The form requires all sorts of information about your loans, your employment, your income, etc., and you’ll need to fill it out in full, and accurately, in order to be considered for receiving non-profit loan forgiveness benefits.

Make absolutely certain that you fill out each field completely, and accurately, because ANY MISTAKES could invalidate your eligibility to receive forgiveness benefits, and the worst part about the process is that it could take months to head back from the Department of Education on the status of your application, so you do NOT want to screw this up!

This is one of the only reasons why I recommend that my visitors hire a service like the Student Loan Relief Helpline to help them fill out all the certification documents and other paperwork… as making a mistake on these docs could mean waiting another several months or even years to get your loans wiped out, costing you a ton of money for a simple, stupid mistake!

If you want to make sure that you are doing everything correctly, then don’t be afraid to call the Student Loan Relief Helpline for assistance. You will have to pay for their service, but if the few hundred dollars you pay them ensures your paperwork is complete, and gets you access to tens of thousands of dollars in loan forgiveness benefits, then you’re really not wasting money, right

You can reach the Student Loan Relief Helpline by calling 1-888-906-3065.

Will I Owe Taxes on the Forgiven Debt

Unlike most other forms of student loan forgiveness, the Non-Profit Forgiveness benefits offered under PSLF are NOT taxable, and will NOT require you to claim the amount of debt you have forgiven as “taxable income” on your IRS returns, and that’s a big deal.

Why Because the forgiveness benefits that do lead to tax liabilities can end up costing people thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars.

How If you receive forgiveness of a $100,000 loan under a different forgiveness benefit plan, the IRS forces you to add that $100,000 of forgiveness to your tax return as income!

Which means that you’d be forced to pay taxes on that $100,000 which got forgiven, at the same rate you pay for regular income (for most Americans, that’s 25% – 35%), meaning you’d owe $25,000 – $35,000!

And unlike your monthly student loan payments, which are stretched out over time so that you only have to pay a small amount of money each month, IRS tax bills are due all at once, meaning you’d have to come up with that money in a single go.

That’s no easy task, and it’s why so many people end up in big trouble with the IRS.

Get Tax Help at Forget Tax Debt!

If you’re struggling with tax-related problems, I’ve got good news – my new site Forget Tax Debt was created specifically for you!

Like Forget Student Loan Debt, this new site offers information about dealing with IRS debt, covering topics like Getting Free Help Filing and Paying Back Taxes, applying for IRS Tax Debt Forgiveness Programs, Settling with the IRS, signing up for the IRS Fresh Start Program, and avoiding IRS Phone Scams.

Forget Tax Debt is new, but I’m building it out to be the best site on the web for tax-related problems, and like this site, I’m offering all my advice, information and resources entirely for free, so if you’re struggling with any sort of IRS issue, please be sure to visit Forget Tax Debt here.

What if I Have Other Student Loan Questions

This site was built to help people deal with their student debt, and I’ve created helpful, comprehensive Guides for just about any topic you can possibly imagine.

Leave a Comment!

If you have any questions that haven’t been covered on this page, or others on my site, please do feel free to post them in the comments section below!

I answer questions each morning when I wake up, so it should only take 24 hours to get a response, no matter what you’re asking about.

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I rely on your help to keep the servers running, so anything that you can do to spread awareness of this website will go a long way toward ensuring that I can continue to make regular updates great lakes bank student loans

Thank you for visiting, and please come back soon!

Forgiveness Cancellation and Discharge Charts Federal .

The following is a guest post by Cary McCall. While reading a post at One In Jesus I saw Cary made a comment about debt forgiveness for ministers. I asked him to explain more and he sent me this post. I read it and even got permission from the website owner, Jay Guin to use this post that he also has on his website. If you have any questions either Cary or I could try and answer them in the comments.

One of the most burdensome financial obligations faced by many young ministers is an increasing student debt load. The rising cost of higher education is forcing many to rely heavily on financial aid, both for undergraduate and graduate educations. This is compounded for ministers who have sought education at private Christian universities, some of which have tuitions surpassing $700 (or more) per credit hour. The Master of Divinity, the most common ministry degree for preachers, is 84 hours. Although some schools help with scholarships and grants, most students end up with significant amounts of debt.

Most churches try to offer reasonable living wages to their ministers, but with heavy debt obligations, many ministers still struggle to keep things under control financially. Many ministers have no choice but to take on second jobs or rely on spouses to make up the difference in needed family income.

However, as of July 2009, many ministers now have a way to substantially reduce, and in some cases eliminate, the burden of their student loan debt. This is made possible by taking advantage of two programs now offered by the Federal Government: Income-Based Repayment and Public Service Debt Forgiveness.

About Public Service Student Loan Debt Forgiveness and Income-Based Repayment

Public Service Debt Forgiveness is part of the federal College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007. This program discharges the remaining principal and interest after 10 years of monthly payments on loans serviced through the Direct Loans program of the Department of Education and applies to those who work in any number of public service fields. By law, this includes employees of all non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations, which includes the vast majority of ministers. However, Public Service Debt Forgiveness is only of limited value by itself because standard repayment plans have debts completely paid off in ten years. The only option for reducing actual payment amounts before the end of ten years was the Income Contingent Repayment plan.

Income-Based Repayment is a new payment plan made available on July 1, 2009. This plan, combined with Public Service Debt Forgiveness, is what produces the most value for most ministers. Income-Based Repayment introduces an entirely new formula for calculating monthly payments based largely on Adjusted Gross Income (taxable income), marital status, and family size. Ministers gain a distinct advantage in these calculations in that significant portions of income are not included in most ministers’ Adjusted Gross Income. A married minister (filing separately) with two children, a $50,000 per year income with $17,000 in housing and other allowances, and a balance of $35,000 will most likely have his monthly payment reduced to zero under Income-Based Repayment. Assuming ten more years of work in ministry, his entire balance will have been covered by the federal government.

Loans qualifying for both Public Service Debt Forgiveness and Income-Based Repayment must be serviced by the William D. Ford Direct Loans program through the Department of Education. However, loans serviced through other providers may be consolidated into the Direct Loans program for free at any time so long as they are Federal Family Education Loans (usually subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford, Perkins, SLS, or Grad PLUS loans).

Once loans are consolidated into and serviced by the Direct Loans program, the borrower may enter the application process for Income-Based Repayment. After 120 monthly payments under the Direct Loans program while employed in a qualifying public service position, the borrower may apply for Public Service Debt Forgiveness.

How Do I Have My Student Loan Debt Forgiven

The consolidation and payment plan enrollment process is relatively simple, although it can take up to several months to complete.

Step 1: If you are a minister employed by a church that is officially registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization If yes, ask yourself if you truly believe that you will work in ministry for the next ten years. If yes, continue.

Step 2: Determine if your current loans are eligible for consolidation into the Direct Loans program. Any kind of Stafford, Perkins, SLS, or Grad PLUS loan counts.

Step 3: Determine if Income-Based Repayment plan will benefit you. Use this calculator at to determine if it will lower your current monthly payment.

Step 4: Consolidate loans into the Direct Loans Servicing Center by initiating the process at www.loanconsolidation.ed.gov . This can take several weeks, and up to two months in some cases.

I work as a campus minister with a student debt load of approximately $32,000, the vast majority of that amount coming from two years of graduate seminary. Under the standard repayment plan I was enrolled in with Sallie Mae (a popular loan servicer), I was paying almost $400 per month. The IBR plan with my current Adjusted Gross Income – even as a single minister with no family – has produced a new monthly payment of zero. It looks likely that this payment amount will continue into the future, and will be all but guaranteed if I become married and start a family.

Resources For Further Research on Debt Forgiveness

Editor’s Note: In some follow-up discussion with Jay and Cary it seems like your church should have 501(c)(3) status for you to be eligible. If you plan to follow this strategy it is recommended that you check the 501(c)(3) status of your church. If they do not have 501(c)(3) status then they can apply for it for the cost of $850 plus legal fees can you get a student loan without a cosigner

Eligibility Programs NIH: Division of Loan Repayment

Since the money from FWS is earned for hours worked, it is paid directly to the student and is not shown as a credit on the college bill.

Learn more about the Federal Work-Study Program.

Colleges provide institutional grants and scholarships to help make up the difference between college costs and what a family can be expected to contribute through income, savings, loans, and student earnings. Awards may be based on academic merit, artistic or athletic talent, financial need or other factors. You can learn more about the types of institutional grants and scholarships awarded by checking each college's website.

Private Scholarships

Private scholarships provide funding for students who meet the requirements specified by the donor organization. Local organizations or businesses may offer scholarships to students who plan to study at a regional college or who plan to pursue a degree in a particular field of study.

Check with your High School Guidance Counselor office for details about local and regional scholarships.

Under certain conditions, you may have all or part of your education loans forgiven or cancelled in exchange for performing a qualifying service for a defined period of time. Although you do not have to repay the part of your loan that is forgiven or cancelled, you may owe taxes on the forgiven/cancelled amount in cases where the forgiven/cancelled amount is considered income.

Student loans must be paid back — with interest. Before taking out a student loan, make sure you have applied for all of the scholarships and grants you are eligible to receive from the federal and state governments, your college, and organizations in your community. You apply for all federal loans by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

If after exhausting all federal and state sources of aid, you find you still have a college funding gap, you may consider a private loan to make up the difference.

Federal Loans

The financial aid award letter you receive from your college shows the federal student loans for which you are eligible. Loan fees are charged for each loan, except Perkins Loans. The fee varies by type of loan. All interest rates and loan limits published here are subject to change by the U.S. Department of Education.

Private student loans — sometimes known as alternative loans — are options for financing college costs that can bridge the financial gap between college costs and traditional funding sources, such as federal loans, grants and scholarships.Private student loans are usually unsecured, which means approval is based on a financial institution's assessment of the borrower's ability to repay.

Borrowing a private student loan is a serious financial commitment. They have higher interest rates and most charge fees making them more expensive than federal loan options. Be sure to exhaust all federal loan eligibility before borrowing a private student loan, including the Federal PLUS Loan. Learn about the Federal PLUS Loan.

If a private student loan is needed, student borrowers will secure better terms and pricing by adding a credit worthy co-signer to their application. Always check the interest rate, fees, interest capitalization policy, repayment period, prepayment penalties and other terms and conditions of the loan before you sign a promissory note.Interest rates, loan limits, interest capitalization policy, repayment options and prepayment penalties can vary – sometimes considerably – depending on the financial institution underwriting the loan.It's important to understand all the terms associated with a loan before you choose one.

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